[From a paper contributed by the State Librarian to the Library Commission Bulletin, of October, 1901.] The death of Theodore S. Parvin, July 28, 1901, removed from active life one who for more than sixty years had served the public with rare ability and fidelity. In the history of Iowa as territory and state no other name will be found associated with such a wide range of honorable public service Before taking up the story of his life-work as librarian, let me simply name the more important positions of trust filled by this remarkable man. The list, standing alone, is an eloquent tribute to his worth and usefulness. At 21, private secretary to Governor Lucas; at 22, both private secretary to the governor and territorial librarian; at 23, district prosecuting attorney; at 24, secretary of the legislative council; at 25, probate judge, holding the office three terms; at 29, clerk of the United States district court, holding the office ten years; at 39, register of the State Land Office; at 42, a trustee of the State University; at 43, a professor of natural science in the university; at 52, transferred to the chair of history-all the while he was professor at the university, acting as librarian and as curator of the cabinet of natural history. From the age of 52, until the time of his death, he was grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of Iowa Masons, and much of the time grand recorder of the Grand Encampment Knights Templar of the United States. From the age of 27, until his death, he was librarian and curator of the Iowa Masonic Library, of which he was the inspiration and founder. All this time, but more especially from his withdrawal from politics in 1860, to the date of his last illness, he was an indefatigable collector, as the Masonic Library at Cedar Rapids, the museum of the State Historical Society at Iowa City and the museum of the Iowa Historical Department at Des Moines in many and various ways attest. But it is of Theodore S. Parvin, the librarian, that I would speak at this time. His career revives one's faith in divine calls to public service. It is related that while in Cinciunati, purchasing law books with a view to the practice of law in Ohio, he chanced-or was he impelled?- to meet, at the home of a mutual friend, one Robert Lucas, who had just been appointed governor of the new territory of Iowa. He so favorably impressed the governor that he was then and there tendered the position of private secretary. He promptly accepted the offer as a call to service, and in the year 1838, at the age of 21, entered upon his Iowa career. A graduate of Woodward College and of the Cincinnati Law School, young Parvin was in all probability the best educated and best read man at the territorial capital. Through his influence Governor Lucas recommended a congressional appropriation of five thousand dollars-a princely sum in those days-for the founding of a territorial library. The appropriation passed, and nothing was more natural than that the bookish young secretary of Governor Lucas should have been made territorial librarian. Armed with a letter of credit for five thousand dollars be made the then long journey to Cincinnati, and there, by his careful selections, proceeded to lay broad and deep the literary foundations of the State Library of Iowa. Most of the volumes accessioned by Mr. Parvin in '38 are still in use at the state library, mute evidences of the wisdom, knowledge and discretion of the first, in fact the only, public book-buyer in the territory of Iowa. From 1839 to 1860, the most strenuous years of his life, his books were chiefly men and his activities were mainly confined to the oflice, the court room and the stump. But from 1860 down to the close of his century his life was close to books and libraries, and his organizing mind went out, with all the enthusiasm which moved the soul of the young book-lover in the thirties, toward the founding and upbuilding of libraries. The eminently successful library work done by him in his later years at Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, with the resultful pioneer labors of his young manhood in Burlington, together make a record of usefulness which of itself places every citizen of Iowa and every Iowa librarian in his debt. Librarian's Report. OFFICE OF THE STATE LIBRARIAN, To the Hon. Leslie M. Shaw, Governor of Iowa: SIR-I have the honor to submit for your consideration the Twenty-eighth Biennial Report of the Iowa State Library, covering the period from July 1, 1899, to June 30, 1901, inclusive. At the close of the last preceding biennial period there were 65,093 volumes in the library-3,650 of which belonged to the traveling library department, and 61,443 to the State Library proper. Books Added Since Last Report. To this number have been added during the biennial period now closed 10,632 volumes, as follows: Miscellaneous department, acquired by purchase.......... Miscellaneous department, acquired by exchange and gift.... 2,129-6,631 4,502 Law department, acquired by purchase.... 1,291 Law department, acquired by exchange and gift... 516- 1,807 2,125 Traveling library department, acquired by exchange and gift 69- 2,194 Total...... 10,632 These, added to the number of books in the State Library two years ago, make a total of........ 75,725 But of this number 4,115 have been transferred to the Historical Department, reducing the total of books in the State Library proper to....... 71,610 The books so transferred added to the number of volumes reported by the Curator of the Historical Department (namely 9,707), swell the total of the books in the department to.... The grand total of books in the miscellaneous, law, traveling library and historical departments of the State Library is therefore...... 13,822 89,547 The transfer of books from the miscellaneous department to the historical department, above referred to, was made by order. of the Library Board in execution-so far as was found to be practicable-of chapter 114, Laws of the Twenty-eighth General Assembly, "An act consolidating the miscellaneous portion of the State Library with the Historical Department." By this act the State Librarian was given "general charge of the Historical Department and of the consolidated and law libraries." The "Curator of the Museum and Art Gallery" was given "charge of the museum, the Art Gallery, the newspapers and historical periodicals" and the "assistant to librarian" was placed in "charge of the law library, under the direction of the State Librarian." The most important change made in the legal status of the State Library, and the actual status as well, since my last report, is this act of consolidation. Purposes Served by the Consolidation. The general purpose of the framers of the law was declared to be to place these library interests of the State which center at the State Capital, in line with the spirit of the time, and with the best interests of the State, uniting them under one board management and under one general superintendency. The immediate incentives to the passage of this law were as follows: 1. The rapid growth of the miscellaneous department of the State Library and the consequent encroachments of that department on space required for the equally rapid expansion of the law, document and traveling library departments. 2. The almost unavoidable duplication of the books-especially in the historical department and the historical section of the miscellaneous library-and the consequent desirability of placing the purchasing, classifying and cataloguing under one general head-both as a matter of economy and for convenience as well 3. As a preparatory step toward the fulfillment of Curator Aldrich's plan and purpose, namely: the completion of the Historical Building, the west wing of which is now occupied by the historical department, the east wing of the completed building to be devoted to the uses of the Library, the main, or central portion to be used principally as an auditorium and for the further extension of the Art Gallery, and for the creation of a hall of archives, leaving the entire west wing, as it is now in part, for the uses of the Museum, the Art Gallery and the files of Iowa and general newspapers. More Room Necessary to Complete the Transfer of Books. So far as has been found to be practicable, the consolidation directed by the last General Assembly has already been carried into effect. After a personal inspection of the west wing of the new building, the members of the Library Board became satisfied. that the consolidation ordered by the last General Assembly could not be fully carried out until the completion of the Historical Building, and consequently, at a meeting held on the 6th of February, 1901, the Board, exercising its judgment as directed by the law, instructed the State Librarian and the Curator of the Historical Museum, etc., "to remove from the State Library proper to the Historical Building the following books, periodicals and papers to-wit: "All genealogical works. "All historical and kindred publications. "All books known as 'the Iowa Collection.' “All books and documents relating to the Civil War. To have gone further before the completion of the building would have compelled a division of the Library force and would have seriously inconvenienced the Curator of the historical department and weakened the State Library proper. The Librarian was directed to retain at the State Library proper, for use in the State Library or in the special loan branch of the traveling library department, all duplicates of works found in the Library of the historical department. This instruction has been carried out, and I have to report that the estimate of the members of the Board as to shelf room in the new building, has been found to be correct, for an inspection of the historical department after the transfer of the books above named reveals the fact that, with the books, pamphlets and newspaper files already accumulated in the historical department, (9,707 as reported by the Curator) and the books transferred from the State Library (4,115), there remains insufficient space on the shelves to warrant a further transfer of books from the State Library to the Historical Building; in fact, the large accessions continually being made to the Library of the historical department, chiefly in supplying that department with complete sets of the historical collections of the several states, and in adding to the department's collection of state, county and town histories, |